She Keeps Bees’ “Eight Houses” is perfect self-therapy music

by Susan Shelton

If She Keeps Bees was looking to create a dusty yet comfortable train ride with their new album Eight Houses, then they’ve done it. The duo made a quaint mix of quiet drumbeats and melodic piano riffs for the perfect quality of mellow listening. This is not to say ignore the moments when the music is vamped up to a quick pace, but even in those moments, there is absolute control to the chaos. Eight Houses is truly perfect for self-reflection and self-healing.

The most striking thing about this album is the passion. The lyrics are passionate and the vocals rise to match. The album is mellow for the most part, but it never enters a mindless shoe-gaze type of listening atmosphere. Instead, it is clear that She Keeps Bees is present in creative spirit through every second of recorded music. Quiet rhythms gently kiss the louder moments, and one component never overtakes the other.

This album would seem repetitive to someone who prefers upbeat music. That being said there are subtle differences between the sounds of even the most similar songs. The variety of the music is even greater to be appreciated when it is something to be sought instead of thrown at the listener right away. The similarities help the album flow as one unit.

Nothing was overlooked when this album was being made. The ridges that remain in the music were clearly intentional. The angst is not overbearing. The quiet piece in the middle of the album is a gentle reprieve from the zealous sounds before and after. To say that Eight Houses is breathtaking would defeat the tone that the album is meant to refresh and give breath.

Release date: September 16, 2014